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Timekeeper by Tara Sim

Danny Hart is the youngest mechanic on record – it’s his job to make sure the clocks of Victorian England keep good time, and he knows firsthand what the consequences will be if he doesn’t. He’s good at what he does, and he knows it; until, one day, a mischievous clock spirit called Colton takes a fancy to him. Colton’s a golden boy locked in a golden tower, and he just wants to be able to live, but he’ll soon understand that life isn’t like the fairytales that Danny reads to him, and that Danny isn’t quite a knight in shining armour. But for Colton, Danny will try to be. This isn’t just about an illegal romance, though – someone has been bombing clock towers, and Danny knows that Colton won’t be safe forever.

Is it any good?

When I finished reading this book at half past nine this morning, I was at an utter loss. My life ceased to hold any meaning. I ached to be back in the pages – it is that sort of book. You rush to devour it because you can’t get enough, but then when you finish it you wished you hadn’t because you want it to never end. Thankfully, though, this isn’t quite the end; Timekeeper is the first in a trilogy! It’s a nice change to see an LGBT romance (between Danny and Colston) take centre stage rather than be on the periphery as in most YA lit, and the romance feels so organic, it flows through the pages. The premise is original and Sim weaves a rich, steampunk world that I just couldn’t get enough of. The characters are three-dimensional and perfectly flawed (Danny is selfish, Colton is jealous and headstrong, Cassie – Danny’s bad ass best friend – is too passionate). The storyline is utter gold dust, the characters are diamonds. This book should easily be a 10/10, but it’s Sim’s writing style that lets her down. It’s too abrupt and bare in places, and the attempt to sound English is too forced; I lost count of the number of ‘bloke’s and ‘mate’s used, clashing with a few ‘closet’s and ‘figured’s and other Americanisms that clearly slept through the net. That said, however, I eagerly await the next instalment of the Timekeeper trilogy.

Rating: 9.5/10

How long did it take to read: four days

For fans of: Cassandra Clare (especially her Infernal Devices trilogy), Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, steampunk, the Professor Layton games

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2 thoughts on “Timekeeper by Tara Sim”

Did you say “for fans of The Infernal Devices”, “steampunk” and “lgbtq+ romance”?? …You called?! It sounds amazing (and like it was written with me in mind) and omg I will definitely check it out (whenever I find the time that is- TBR piles are tricky things that must be approached with caution lol).